A Breath of Spring

Two weeks ago in the historic Great Hall on Ellis Island four esteemed individuals were honored by The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. for their contributions to the American Dream.

The 10th Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards,given annually to a select number of Port of New York and Ellis Island immigrants or their descendants, along with the B.C. Forbes Peopling of America® Award, which honors the lives of immigrants who arrived at another time or through another port, were presented at a ceremony hosted by Deborah Norville of Inside Edition.

This year’s Awards featured a salute to the Statue of Liberty on her 125th anniversary and the 25 years since her historic restoration.

Crossing the Hudson River on their way to Ellis Island are 2011 honorees Sen. George J. Mitchell, Martina Navratilova and Joe Torre, along with Deborah Norville of Inside Edition

The 2011 Ellis Island Family Heritage Award recipients were: Joe Torre,
recently named MLB’s Executive Vice President for Baseball Operations. Senator George J. Mitchell. His mother Mintaha Saad arrived from Lebanon in 1920 through Ellis Island. Martina Navratilova, born in Prague, in communist Czechoslovakia in 1956, she defected at the U.S. Open in 1975 at the age of 18. In 1981 she received her U.S. citizenship. A Special tribute award was given to Lee Iacocca. As the Founding Chairman of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Iacocca spearheaded the historic restorations of these national treasures. His father Nicola came through Ellis Island from San Marco in 1910, and again in 1921 as a citizen bringing his Italian bride, Antoinetta.

Torre, Mitchell and Iacocca received a framed copy of the original ship’s passenger manifest documenting the arrival of their family through Ellis Island. The Foundation’s database of ship’s passenger arrivals available at the American Family Immigration History Center® at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum and online at www.ellisisland.org documents the arrival records of the more than 25 million immigrants, travelers and crew members who came through America’s Golden Door and the Port of New York from 1892-1924.

Tennis great Martina Navratilova receives the B.C. Forbes Peopling of America® Award for Sports from Moira Forbes, granddaughter of "Bertie" Forbes. Joining them on stage are Will Shafroth (left), of the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Deborah Norville and Foundation CEO Stephen Briganti (right)

Lee Iacocca reflects upon the early years when he toured the Statue and Ellis Island at the request of President Reagan to head up their restoration efforts

Navratilova, recipient of the B.C. Forbes Peopling of America® Award sponsored by the Forbes Family, joins a stellar group of newer immigrants or those who arrived through other ports. The stories of immigrants like them, as well as those who came to this country before the Ellis Island era, will be told in the new $20 million expansion of the Museum—The Peopling of America® Center. The Foundation is currently raising funds for the completion of the project. Upon the Center’s completion, the Museum will be renamed Ellis Island: The National Museum of Immigration.

Foundation Board Members Michael O'Bannon and Joseph Doddridge speak with Will Shafroth of the U.S. Dept. of the Interior before the 10th annual Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards

Stephen Briganti, Foundation President CEO, greets Sen. George J. Mitchell, recipient of the Ellis Island Family Heritage Award for Government Service, in Battery Park

Joe Torre, Sports honoree, (far right) receives his mother Margaret Rofrano's 1911 manifest from Foundation CEO Stephen Briganti and Will Shafroth, Acting Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, as Deborah Norville looks on

Event host Deborah Norville greets Lee Iacocca and his sister Delma Kelechava in the Great Hall

Foundation Board Member Gene Bay catches up with Lee Iacocca, Foundation Founding Chair, and his sister Delma at Ellis Island

Lee Iacocca receives A Special Tribute for his years of dedication to preserving and restoring the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island. Presenting him with his parents Nicola and Antoinetta Iacocca's passenger manifests are Will Shafroth of the U.S. Dept. of the Interior (left) and Foundation CEO Stephen Briganti. Event host Deborah Norville joins the gentlemen on stage.

Sen. George J. Mitchell, Government Service recipient, speaks about his mother's 1920 journey from Lebanon through Ellis Island to Waterville, Maine

Felicia Daniels who for many years has been an ardent supporter of Evidence accepted the 2011 Corporate Award for United Airlines which recently merged with Continental. Janice Combs though unable to attend accepted the 2011 Inspiration Award in absentia

There was a theater style performance by the Company of the recently premiered, “On Earth Together”, choreographed by Ronald K. Brown, and inspired by the music of Stevie Wonder.

The mission of Evidence is to promote understanding of the human experience in the African Diaspora through dance and storytelling and to provide sensory connections to history and tradition through music, movement, and spoken word, leading deeper into issues of spirituality, community responsibility and liberation.

Andrea Dubois

Devon Scott and Ivan Godfrey

Felicia Daniels accepts award on behalf of United Airlines

Eduardo Vilaro, Jacqueline Mcalliser, and Gregory Stuart

Jocelyn Taylor and Reginald Canal

Clarence and Aischa Mitchell

Alicia Bythewood and Brie Bythewood (Brie is wearing a Zang Toi gown)

Dr. Ancy and Katherine Verdier

Andrea Hoffman and Felicia Daniels

Clarice Young, Ron Brown, and Annique Roberts

Marcia Fingal, Valerie Brooks, Shawn Choy, and Thomas Bell

Joyce Mullins-Jackson

Pamela Joyner and Reginald Van Lee

Nicole Coward, Obi Onyeagoro, and Asha Richards

Peg Alston and Burton Willis

Patrick Tully, Gala Auctioneer

Tia Walker and Owen Levy

Phylicia Rashad

Monica F. Azare and David Davenport

Princess Okieme and Princess Keisha Omilana

In 2005, Barbara and Donald Jonas sold a portion of their art collection at Christie’s to establish the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence, a first-of-its-kind philanthropy dedicated to advancing the nursing profession in New York City and beyond. On April 12th, Christie’s hosted a cocktail reception celebrating five successful years of the Jonas Center’s work, which encompasses breakthrough grant programs, acting as a convener for cross-sector collaboration and spearheading efforts to shape health policy.

From before birth until the end of life, most of our care is nurses’ hands. Nurses make up the largest segment of the healthcare workforce and more demands are put on them every day – to handle new technologies, provide more services, ensure quality of care and reduce costs – yet as a group, they receive little attention, support and funding. Donald and Barbara Jonas set out to change that.

In just five years, the Jonas Center has begun shifting the landscape of possibilities for the nursing profession and raising awareness among many sectors of the responsibilities we all have to these men and women.

Among the guests were New York notables from the health, philanthropy and media spheres will attend. These included Dr. Mehmet Oz, surgeon, author and host, The Dr. Oz Show; Dr. Herbert Pardes, President & CEO, New York Presbyterian Medical Center; Dr. Louis Sullivan, President Emeritus, Morehouse School of Medicine, Former Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services; Mr. William Baker, President Emeritus, Thirteen/WNET & WLIW21 New York; and Dr. Naomi Levine, Chair & Executive Director, George H. Heyman Jr Center for Philanthropy & Fund-Raising, and Stephen Lash, CEO Emeriteus of Christie’s.

William Baker, Walter Sweet, Dr. Herb Pardes, and Melissa Berman

Jeanne Marie Baker and Janet D. Allan

Dr. Beverly Malone Dr. Louis Sullivan

Joseph Napolitano, Dean Susan Gennaro, and Dr. Kathy McCauley

Ed and Mada Bleier

Dean Heather and Margaret Grey

Dr. Robert and Patricia Samuelson

Matthew J. Tortoso, William Sarnoff, and Jonathan Spitalny

John Wolff, Michael Spero, and Adam Purcell

Christina Spellman and Sally Brosz-Hardin

Janet D. Allan and William Holzemer

Tom Moore and Alicia Volk

Susan Gennaro and Terry Fulmer

Donald Jonas

Naomi Levine and Sue Dickman

Dr. Stanley Chang, Dr. Herb Pardes, and Dr. Steven Safyer

Stephen Lash, Barbara Jonas, and Donald Jonas

Barbara Jonas, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Donald Jonas

The Musical Olympus Foundation, led by Irina Nikitina, presented an international music festival at Carnegie Hall on Thursday, April 7th, featuring five, young, international music competition winners. The festival’s fourth return to the Carnegie stage, Slovenian percussion duo Simon Klavžar and Jože Bogolin, pianist Ilya Maximov of Russia, violinist Solenne Paidassi of France and soprano Anna Kasyan of Georgia performed at Zankel Hall to an energetic ovation. The performance was followed by a dinner reception at Petrossian.

Petrossian guests toasted the performances of the young musical prodigies. Percussionists Klavar and Bogolin were also presented with the Audience Prize; an award to the favorite festival participant determined by the vote of concert attendees. The duo received a unique piece of silver artwork by Vladmir Mikhailov, a Russian artist.

Musical Olympus, with support from the World Public Forum “Dialogue of Civilizations” and other sponsors, is proud to have the opportunity to present this festival annually. This year, their rising stars were the winners of the: The International Percussion Duo Competition in Luxembourg, 2009, The Gabala International Piano Competition in Azerbaijan, 2009 and The Long—Thibaud International Violin Competition in Paris, 2010. The Musical Olympus Foundation was established in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1995. The foundation develops and implements a range of international cultural projects, including the Musical Olympus Festival and an annual charitable ball. For more information, please visit www.musicalolympus.org.